For Immediate Release: May 11

Contact:
Dr. Michael Cassity
Professor of Music Therapy
Office: (417) 873-7370
E-mail: mcassity@drury.edu

SPRINGFIELD, Mo., May 11, 2010 — Drury University will begin offering classes leading to the Master of Music Therapy (MMT) degree in the fall of 2010. Drury is one of just three universities in Missouri to offer a Master of Music Therapy.

The MMT degree is a 38 semester-hour program requiring approximately three semesters to complete. Five students are presently on the MMT degree track. These include three master’s equivalency students and two students who hold the bachelor’s degree of music therapy. Additional students have expressed their intention to apply for admission to the program.

The Drury University Bachelor of Music Therapy and MMT degree programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music and approved by the American Music Therapy Association. Graduates are eligible to take the Board Certification Examination administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (www.cbmt.org). Upon passing the examination, students are awarded the Music Therapy Board Certification (MT-BC), a nationwide employment credential. The Drury University music therapy program is listed in the 2009-2010 Health Care Careers Directory published by the AMA.

A bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from an accredited college or university is the primary requirement for admission to the MMT program. Applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree in another area of music are eligible for the master’s equivalency program in which students take the undergraduate coursework required for Board Certification in music therapy in addition to the MMT degree requirements. Applicants who have a degree but do not have at least 54 semester hours of music apply for the Bachelor of Music Therapy degree program.

Photo/Video Opportunity: Music therapy sessions will take place in Congregational Hall on Drury’s campus on three Fridays in May: May 14, 21 and 28. Sessions will be held from 11:30 a.m. -12:15 p.m., 12:45 p.m.-1:30 p.m. and from 2-2:45 p.m. All sessions involve students from the Rivendale Institute of Learning. If you are interested in covering this unique therapy, please contact Mark Miller, Drury’s director of media relations, and he can arrange the video or photo shoot.

Media Contact: Mark Miller, Drury director of media relations, Mobile: (417) 839-2886, Office: (417) 873-7390, e-mail: markmiller@drury.edu.

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Drury is an independent University, church related, grounded in the liberal arts tradition and committed to personalized education in a community of scholars who value the arts of teaching and learning. Education at Drury seeks to cultivate spiritual sensibilities and imaginative faculties as well as ethical insight and critical thought; to foster the integration of theoretical and practical knowledge; and to liberate persons to participate responsibly in and contribute to a global community. For more information, visit www.drury.edu/strategicplan.

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